In this video, I wanted to go through a little tweak that you can do with the stability ball to get more out of your mid-back stretch. If you sit a lot, you tend to be tight in the mid back, leading to unnecessary stress on your back, shoulders, and neck. One area of tension can cause compensation in other areas of your body, so keeping your entire body mobile is essential.
Mid-back pain is pain below the neck and above the bottom of the rib cage. In other words, the thoracic spine. There are 12 vertebrae in the thoracic spine, with discs between each vertebra. Mid-back pain has various symptoms and depends on the cause of your pain. Common symptoms of mid-back pain include muscle aches, dull pain, burning sensations, sharp or stabbing pain, and muscle stiffness. If you experience more serious symptoms such as numbness in the legs, arms, or chest, chest pain, weakness in the legs or arms, or loss of bowel or bladder control, seek immediate medical attention.
A variety of things can cause mid-back pain. Bad posture can lead to repeated pressure on the spine which can cause pain. When you slouch, your muscles and ligaments must work very hard to keep you balanced. Overworking these muscles can lead to mid-back pain. Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of back pain as well.
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I am going to have Alix demonstrate it.
You will need a stability ball. Kneel in front of the stability ball, holding the ball on either side. Bring your hips back toward your heels with your arms lengthened out in front of you. Keep your seat on your feet, and rotate from one side to the other. One hand will come down towards the floor, and then the other. Go as far to each side as is comfortable and breathe.
Typical Mid-Back Stretch
The key thing to remember is to have your arms in line with your head and your arms in line with the rest of your body. Moving side to side will stretch out the mid-back. You can tweak it if you want to get more out of the stretch.
Mid Back Stretch Tweak
Come back to the start, where you are kneeling with the ball in front of you. Cross your arms and place your hands on the ball. Sit your hips back towards your heels. Rock to one side and then rock to the other side. This intensifies the stretch so you can get more side bending. Start with the first stretch, and if that one is easy or you are not feeling very well, switch over to the second one.
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Take care!
Rick Kaselj, MS
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